15 Tips for How to Effectively Manage YOUR Precious Time

1: Relax.

When you’re relaxed, you’re more likely to become inspired. When you’re inspired, you will find the time to write. To create. To do the things you’ve been putting off. To work.

In short, to become productive.

2: Don’t Schedule Things; Work When You’re Inspired

One of the tips I’ve read about managing time is to create a schedule and stick to it.

Now, we all know that’s not gonna happen. Something always happens to disrupt your “perfect” plan. Family or friends demand your attention. The phone rings. Your favourite show is on TV. An emergency arises. And so on.

Basically, life happens.

If you are anything like me, you write when you’re inspired to. You don’t force it. You can’t say to yourself, “I’m going to write 1000 words in the next two hours, and they’re going to be good.”

That’s simply NOT going to happen.

But if you find yourself sitting at your computer and you become inspired, then you can easily spend two or three hours writing and creating.

Time seems to stand still during these hours, and before you know it, a lot of time has passed.

BUT you’ve been productive, because you were inspired!

3: Create A Manageable TO DO List

I’m famous for writing things down on a To Do list.

I start a new one each week (sometimes, each day!) and I cross things off my list as I complete them.

The problem with To Do lists (at least mine, anyway!) are the tasks that are on them. Often, each task is a huge, time-consuming one!

For example, this was my list from a few years ago, when I was helping my mom do some renovations to her house:

Wash the walls and then paint the kitchen.

Put down new flooring in the kitchen.

Clean the living room walls.

Lay new carpet in the living room.

As you can see, this is quite a lofty list!

First of all, item #1 actually consists of two separate things, and each task is not as easy as it seems. If you’ve ever done any painting, you’ll agree!

Now, take item #2, and really think about all that completing this task involves.

First of all, to lay down new flooring, you must have a new floor to actually lay down. This means saving money to buy tiles or linoleum, then buying the flooring, and delivering it to the house.

To lay it down, the kitchen floor must be devoid of everything. This means moving the refrigerator and the stove. It means moving everything else off the floor, too. (My mom actually has her washer and dryer in the kitchen, in addition to the fridge and stove. What can I say… her house is over 100 years old.)

This is a monstrous task!

It also brings me to my next point.

Sometimes, you cannot do certain tasks alone. You’ll need help.

4: Ask For Help or Hire Someone When You Need It

To renovate my mom’s kitchen, I actually had to do a lot of planning. I had to find guys to help me, too.

Because we didn’t have a lot of money to spend, my mom purchased linoleum that was on sale. I hired 2 guys at a total cost of $400 (10 hours x $20/hour x 2 guys).

My mom and I also did a lot of work before the day the guys were to arrive. We cleaned out all of the cupboards, and moved the contents to another room. It was a lot of work.

We then did as much cleaning as we could. We knew we’d have to get the guys to do the hard stuff, though, like climbing up and washing the insides of the top cupboards before painting them.

Without help from the guys, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve our goal.

5: Congratulate Yourself When You Finish Each Task

Remember to reward yourself when you finish each task. This can be done simply, by saying “Congratulations” to yourself. Make yourself a cup of coffee or tea. Have that donut or cookie you’ve been craving. Whatever you decide to do, it should make you feel better!

6: Learn From Your Mistakes

Clichéd, I know. But true. Don’t make the same mistake twice. Learn from what you fail at so that you can achieve success the next time!

7: Plan Your Day, In Writing

If you clearly write out what you want to accomplish, you will have more success at attaining your goals.

This is a fact. Writing helps you form accountability. It forces you to take the correct steps to get what you want and DO what you want. It gives you a clear picture of what you need to do.

If you need a planner to help you do this, use the one I created for you!

DOWNLOAD

Click here to get your FREE Workbook/Planner

8: Take Exercise Breaks

Most of us sit while writing or blogging. We get stiff. Our butts get sore. Our fingers cramp up. And we forget to eat and drink. (Come on, admit it, you’ve probably even been so absorbed in what you’ve been doing that you even neglected to visit the lavatory!)

So take breaks. Often.

Get up and stretch. Drink a glass of water. Walk for 5 minutes (or more). Do something good for your body.

Although you can use an online timer to help remind yourself of these breaks, it’s better if you set your phone’s alarm clock, and then leave it across the room so that you will have to get up to turn it off. The physical action of moving is what you need to get your break started.

This actually coincides with most of the practices of the Pomodoro technique… which is my next piece of advice.

9: Use the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that uses a timer to break down work into intervals of 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. It is based on the idea that frequent breaks can improve mental agility.

10: Track Your Time So You Can Set SMART Goals

This is not a new concept.

SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed) goals are more easily met once you have spent a week tracking your time. Tracking your time will allow you to determine where you need to make improvements.

To track your time, write down what you are doing every hour (or half-hour) each day.

How much time are you spending watching TV? (Likely, too much!)

11: Prioritize Your Manageable To Do List

Once you have created your To Do list, number the tasks. Number 1 should be considered High Priority, task that require immediate attention. Number 2 should be Medium Priority. Number 3 should be Low Priority.

Then do all of the Number 1 tasks first.

Then do the Number 2 tasks, followed by the Number 3 tasks.

12: Don’t Multi-Task

Focus on one thing at a time! You will be more productive if you do!

13: Get Organized and Stay Organized

Clean your work area. Make it neat. Do the dishes. Don’t put them off.

Seriously, stop reading blog posts, especially if they are about things you already know about!

Wasting time (even if it is to show support to a fellow blogger) is something you can cut back on in order to save time and be more productive. Think about it. Be logical. Use your precious time wisely.

People who are attending college or university, or are taking an online course already know that you must schedule time to educate yourself, but what most bloggers don’t realize is that they need to schedule education time, too. I like to call this “self-improvement” time.

Each time you read a blog post, you are essentially doing several things:

You are supporting your blogging buddy and strengthening your relationship with him/her, especially if you comment on the post.

You are (possibly) entertaining yourself.

YOU ARE LEARNING.

Most blog posts are educational in some way. Often, they are packed with actionable tips to help you improve your blog, your business, your website, your career, etc., and carrying out each of these actions not only takes time but a great deal of patience and understanding.

For example, if you are anything like me, you subscribe to sites that will help you get better (as a blogger, entrepreneur, person, etc.). If you decide to take action and make the improvements needed, this will take time.

15: Schedule Education/Self-Improvement Time

If you are anything like me, you want to be the best that you can be. To become your best self, with the best business you can have, being the best entrepreneur (or freelancer, or blogger, etc.) you can be involves improving yourself and your knowledge on a constant basis.

This takes time. Sometimes a lot of time. But the results are worth it in the end.

Wouldn’t you agree?

I know that I have spent a lot of my time organizing my time and my life so that I can be more productive.

Lorraine Reguly, B.A./B.Ed., is an author and English teacher-turned-freelancer for hire. Her life journey is motivational and inspirational. Lorraine's book, From Nope to Hope, is a self-help book designed to help anyone who wishes to lead a happier life, and contains a built-in workbook. Lorraine offers 4 different services on Wording Well, including writing/blogging, and editing. She also helps others become published authors! Check out her services and see what she can do for YOU. You can also visit her author site, Laying It Out There. And don't forget to pick up your FREE copy of 20 Blog Post Must-Haves today!

I learn from this article is how to utilize for time in each work. Time is precious for every human life but most of the people are wasting time.so, this article is useful for every human life and myself also useful for this content. Learn from your mistakes this true, am also mistake for each work but i learn new tips for the every work…

I really love these suggestions although I have to admit that sometimes I have to work while uninspired because of deadlines looming. I particularly like what you wrote about multi-tasking. It is such a popular idea to be an “effective multi-tasker” when in reality, this can just lead to stress, confusion, and bringing everything to a grinding halt. Great article! Thanks.

Deadlines suck. I know. And sometimes we have no choice but TO work when we are uninspired. However, if you manage your time wisely, you will eventually learn your own habits and how to actually get into a routine where you are “in the zone” and inspired to work. For me, my sweet spot is after hours of drinking coffee or tea and getting hopped up on caffeine! Sad, but true. I am much more alert then, and can work for about 5 or 6 hours without interruption!

Great tips Lorraine, I manage a catering business and also a digital agency. Balancing both can be a task but really loved the self improvement time bit and the pomodoro technique, did not know the answer was so simple to break tasks down. Did not realise it until I read this Thanks for the article

Great tips Lorraine! I practice some of them and am keen to get started with some of the others. I’m in the events business. The clock literally runs 24×7 for me & it’s time management that keeps me from going insane! Being in business for over a decade & having learned from experience, I’d like to add a couple of things to your list. 1) Learn to delegate – many people find it difficult to let go of control & hence find themselves drowning in work 2) Learn to draw the line – work will go on forever if you let it. I stop whatever it is I’m doing at midnight & come back to it later.

Wow! great tips! Time is definitely precious. I think the best way to spend it well is getting organized. One should list down the tasks they want to complete for the day. It is as simple as that but still we forget it. Thanks for reminding and sharing through this beautiful post.

These are definitely some great tips and I agree with you, there’s always so much to do as a blogger. I used to multi-task and I thought I was getting so much done.

However, now I focus on one thing at a time and I seem to be a lot more productive than I used to be. Go figure we always thought multi-tasking was how it should be.

I’ve never heard of the Pomodoro technique, I’ll have to read more about it.

I so agree with you that taking time for self improvement is a must for every entrepreneur or anyone in general. I focus on taking breaks from my computer so I can work on improving myself. You’re right, it’s a lot of hard work, but I know that in the end it will definitely be worth it.

Thanks for sharing these tips with us, I know that it’s going to help a lot of people manage their time better.

Hi, Lorraine, this is indeed a great list, a timely one or in fact a great alert to the people who relentlessly work on a daily basis. Especially it will be a good guide to the people who work online. Yes, an alert list is this! I fully agree with all your tips but I slightly differ on the tips #14: Stop Reading Blog Posts Unless You’re Willing to Add Education Time to Your Schedule” In fact, the subtitle really surprised me at once later going thru I could sense it, the idea behind the title. of course, your intention in this note is clear but, spending the time to help out a fellow blogger is never be a wasting time, in fact, if it is on a mutual understanding it will be very beneficial to each other. That will surely be a learning time too for each other. I still remember the long chat I had with you on one of my roundups and the suggestions and ideas you put forward to me was really worth notable I never count such interactions are a waste of time. LOL

Coming to the time schedule keeping is a must thing to follow very strictly. In our roundup post Sleep and productivity, many shared their experience in regard to sleep and productivity. I think I leave that link here for a further reference. http://www.pvariel.com/sleep-and-productivity/

A good nap in between the works will surely increase our productivity. If you are tired very much it is better to relax even if that needs an urgent deadline, if continue to work with a tired mind the outcome may not be perfect and some flaws happen here and there.

Thanks Lorraine for this wonderful experienced tips you shared on this subject. Keep sharing. Have a great time of sharing and caring Best ~Philip

However, when you read a blog post, most often you will learn something. Learning takes time. If you are trying to simply help out a friend and leave a comment on his or her post, that’s something different than what I meant in Point 14.

Often, when I am reading an informative post, I will click through to the other articles mentioned and spend time learning something new, or how to improve my already existing knowledge. Many times, I do not have the time to do this! That’s the whole point! If you’re trying to gain more time in your day, you’re not going to be able to do this if you spend time on such things.

Not that I’m against learning… because I’m not! I just wanted to warn others that one thing can lead to another, and another, and other… and before you know it, two hours have gone by.

As for the sleep and productivity issue, I agree there is a strong correlation between getting enough sleep and improved productivity.

Hi Lorraine; I have finally made it back to your blog and not a moment too soon. Love all the practical advice for time management. Your first couple agree with what my oncologist told me. He said max you are going to have good days and bad ones. So, when you feel like it work your ass off when you don’t sleep, rest, or do something fun. I agree with you on setting aside time for education, exercise, and recreation. Kids have recess why can’t adults? I also have learned that a good book doesn’t always have to have a point. Sometimes our minds need a trashy novel more than we need another self help book. Was happy to see you tell people to ask for help. You know I’m a big believer in that one. And yes we have to celebrate those victories. This comment is kind of my way of celebrating finishing the writing of my latest book. I can now read blogs and leave comments without feeling like I should be writing. Of course, I have fallen sick with that common writer’s illness. I now have more book ideas than I can get down on paper. Keep up the great work my friend. xoxo Max

Hey Lorraine, Thanks for the helpful advice. I am an entrepreneur working on 14/7 and i used to spend most of time with technology stuffs which is related to my field. But in recent days its really pressuring me and i cant relax my self. After read this post, i found that in few ways i can relax myself. Thanks again.

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